On August 5, 2023, the hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Antioch, Metropolitan Isaac of Germany and Central Europe, led the Divine Liturgy on the day of the patronal feast of the parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God in Cologne (Germany). He was co-served by the rector of the church, Archpriest Sergei Gaevsky, and Ukrainian clergy from the western part of Germany. Also during the service were representatives of the local Catholic diocese. This is reported by the website of the DECR UOC.

The bishop Isaac offered up prayers for peace in Ukraine, for its soldiers and for the entire Ukrainian people. At the end of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Isaac congratulated all those present on the feast, expressed gratitude to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine for the blessing to lead the service on the occasion of the first patronal feast of the parish, and also thanked the rector of the parish for the invitation.

“We pray to the Merciful God, because we see and hear from the media what is happening in Ukraine. We know better than anyone what pain and bitterness war brings. We pray and ask God that this war will end as soon as possible. We are also worried about what is happening around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church. All the fullness of the Church of Christ mourns over this division. The Apostle Paul says that there is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father, who is above us all. And we are the children of the One God,” the hierarch said during the sermon.

The rector of the parish thanked the hierarch for the visit and the joint solemn service and emphasized the importance of fraternal relations between the Antiochian and Ukrainian Churches.